


The Game Gets Chaotic!

by Jaehaerys_Joestar



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Chaotic (Cartoon), Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Gen, Jon uses a mixed deck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:21:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24193486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaehaerys_Joestar/pseuds/Jaehaerys_Joestar
Summary: A Mysterious game called Chaotic has spread to Westeros. After a winning streak, Jon Snow sees that the container of his cards is glowing, and he finds himself ported into Chaotic. Will Jon be able to navigate both the dromes and Perim? And who will he meet along the way? M because of Game of Thrones. Will try to make combat live up to it.
Relationships: Jon Snow/Ygritte
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1: Snow Falls to Lava Burns

AN: Alright now, Here we are at the first chapter of my GOT/Chaotic crossover.

Unlike my other stories that have a more overarching plot, this one will largely be more episodic, just like the show. I may get into more connected arcs later on, but for now, this is how it will be.

Background: Several years ago, a game originating from Asshai or somewhere as far east began to travel westworld. No one knows exactly who is behind it, but whoever it is has printed cards in every language, though the common tongue is the most used. When buying a full beginner deck, you get a customary box made of simple metals to hold the cards.

Now, it has reached Westeros for two years and been accepted as a new pastime for just about anyone who was literate.

CHAPTER 1: From Snow falls to Lava Burns

JON

"Alright Snow, you ready to lose?" Theon asked as he finished flipping over his cards.

"No. But I am prepared to win." Jon replied, also flipping his cards.

The two young men, or boy, in Jon's case, who was still a few years shy of manhood had grown bored after practice in the training yard. To alleviate this boredom, they decided on a simple three on three match to pass the time until their mutual friend/brother Robb finished his additional lessons he needed as heir.

\- - - - - - - - Marquis Darini- - - - - - - - Blugon

Jon - Mhein- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Vidav- Theon

\- - - - - - - - Attacat - - - - - - - - - - - - Crawsectus

"I see you still haven't made a choice for what tribe to use." Theon remarked upon seeing how mixed Jon's team was.

"Why would I ever limit myself to one group? Each one has good aspects." Jon retorted.

It was true. Theon and Robb mainly used Overworlders, Theon because they used Water attacks, and Robb because he just liked them. Arya had just started to play, and liked the Danians, if only because the thought of giant bugs made Sansa sick.

If Jon had to pick, he would say the Mipedians. Their invisibility gave them a huge advantage over any opponent they face, but there were ways to counter it. As such, while others began to gravitate to certain tribes, Jon kept on using mixed decks. He DID occasionally use a single tribe, but only to catch his opponent by surprise.

"I went first last time. You can." Jon offered Theon.

"Very well then." Theon said as he flipped over the top card of his location deck.

"Glacial Plains. Let's see now… Crawsectus attacks Attacat." Theon decided.

Jon and Theon moved the two cards over and flipped their Battle Gear.

Crawsectus had a Torinth Krinth, and Attacat had a Citadel Lodestone.

Both had 50 energy.

"Initiative is mine." Jon said as he drew an attack card.

"Progressive Speed for 15 damage." He played the attack, putting Crawsectus at 35 energy.

"Nice one. But not good enough. Rustoxic. And with Water and Earth 5, and over twice Attacat's Courage, that is 30 damage." Theon explained as Attacat was brought down to 20 Energy.

"Ember Whip. You have Water, so that is another 10 damage." Crawsectus and Attacat were tied at 20 Energy now.

"Terror-Flying Tackle. You're down to 5 Energy now." Theon gloated.

"And you have none. Paral-Eyes." Jon played the attack, and with the Speed boost, Crawsectus was down.

"Heh. Lucky draw. Alright now, your attack." Theon said as he moved Vidav up into Crawsectus' former spot.

Jon flipped over his location deck.

"Storm Tunnel." Jon announced, seeing a look of panic on Theon's face. That was the problem with focusing on Water Attacks.

"Marquis Darini attacks Blugon." Jon announced.

Blugon had a Levitar. Darini had a Torwegg.

Darini had 40 Energy, Blugon 35.

"Blugon has the first attack." Jon said as he began the battle.

"Power Pulse for 20 damage." Theon said, Bringing Darini down to 20 Energy.

"SlowSand for 20 damage." Jon said, bringing Blugon to 15 Energy.

"Mindsync just to get it out of my hand." Theon said, playing the no damage card, but lowering Darini's Wisdom.

"Ember Swarm, for another 10." Jon said. Blugon only had 5 Energy left.

"I Play Song of Resurgence, healing Blugon for 20." Theon said as he revealed his Mugic. Blugon was back at 25 Energy. "As for an attack, I play Obscuring Winds for 10 damage."

Marquis Darini was now down to a mere 10 energy.

"Pebblestorm." Jon played, bringing Bulgon back down to 10 as well, and hoping Theon would only deal 5 damage in the Storm Tunnel.

"And Scout's Strike finished Darini off." Theon placed the card down, ending the combat.

Jon sighed and moved Mhein forward.

Theon flipped over the location deck.

"Everrain. Blugon attacks Attacat." Theon declared.

Both still had their battlegear revealed.

Blugon had 35 energy, Attacat 50.

"Courage is tied, so my attack goes first. Ice Disk." Theon dealt 20 damage, bringing Attacat to 30.

"Earth Pulse for 10." Jon played, bringing Blugon to 25 Energy.

"Force Balls for 10 damage." Theon played. Attacat has 20 Energy.

"Progressive Speed." Jon played again. Blugon only had 10 Energy again.

"I play my other Mugic, Song of the Dyad, healing Blugon by 10. And I play Shriek Shock." Theon reduced Attacat to 15 Energy, while bringing himself up to 15.

"And Ember Whip ends it." Jon revealed. The attack dealt additional damage against opponents with Water.

"My attack." Jon said as he flipped his location.

"The Phlogiston. Mhein attacks Vidav." Jon declared.

Mhein had a Mowercycle. Vidav had a Liquidizer which gave him Water for the combat.

Vidav had 35 Energy. Mhein though…

"Mhein gains 5 Energy for every creature in both our Discard piles, which is 3. He gains 15 Energy."

Mhein began combat with 65 energy.

"At the Phlogiston, we both gain Fire, giving Mhein all four elements. He attacks first as well." Jon explained.

"Airsault, knocks you down by 15 Energy." Jon said, putting Vidav at 20 Energy.

"Caustic Cascade." Theon played. Mhein was now at 45 Energy.

"Torrent of Flame ends it." Jon played, ending the match.

"Lucky break Snow." Theon grunted out.

"I would not be so sure about that." A new voice spoke.

Jon and Theon turned and looked at Robb, who had appeared to just walk in.

"Father finally done with you?" Jon asked, to which Robb nodded.

"What do you mean it wasn't luck?" Theon asked.

"Well, I have been keeping track. Jon, when was the last time you lost a full game?" Robb asked.

Jon thought for a moment."Now that you mention it, not for over a week."

"I think you have something like ten wins in a row now. Impressive I would say." Robb pointed out.

"Well maybe. But I doubt it will last." Theon said, gathering his cards up.

THAT NIGHT

Jon entered his room after dinner. He had a busy day tomorrow and had to get rest. He went to go put his Chaotic cards away only to notice something about his box.

The red symbol that represented the game was glowing like a star.

Then it was not. Then it was.

Jon was curious, and walked over to examine the box.

After a minute, he touched the red circle.

It stopped glowing and did not start again.

"That was strange. I must be more tired than I thought." Jon muttered to himself as he placed the box down and went to bed.

CHAOTIC

Jon immediately fell on the floor after feeling like he was falling down a hole. After regaining his bearings, he looked around.

The floor was white. Around him were a bunch of tables with many different people in them. He saw some that wore Northern furs, one wore lighter clothing he remembered Maester Luwin said was necessary for Dorne, and he even saw one that looked like the image he had seen of people from cities in Slaver's Bay.

A large metal...Thing flew by over him, holding a tray of some kind of food and placing it on a table.

"Ah, a newcomer. JS is it not?" A voice said. Jon turned around and saw another metal thing floating above him.

Panicking, he jumped to his feet and put his arms up, lessons on unarmed combat coming to him.

"HEY! WE GOT A FIRST TIMER!" another, more human voice called out.

Before he could do anything, Jon was grabbed from behind by several people.

"Trust us, this is going to be fine." One of his assailant's said.

Before he could respond, he found something stuffed in his mouth from behind. "I remember the last time this happened. They were a biter!" A female voice said.

"I got his Scanner, can't battle without it." One guy only a few years older said.

"Where to?" another girl asked.

"Drome Crellen." The metal responded.

As one, his assailants lifted him up, and brought him out of whatever building he was in, and towards another. This one was white and blue, and had several decorative additions that Jon saw no purpose in.

Suddenly, a red circle on the side opened up, and as one, the mob threw Jon inside.

They were nice enough to remove his gag first though, so that was good.

One also threw his Scanner, which, now that Jon could see, was his box for his cards, only far smaller and more compact than it had been before it started glowing. It also now had parts that moved near the bottom. He tried to open it, only for it not to move. He looked around at his surroundings.

The inside was a dark greenish, with light emanating from some part of the floor.

"JS" A deep voice spoke.

Jon looked around, and noticed a floating black and red… Is that the Chaotic Symbol?

"Wh-what is going on?" He asked.

"BEFORE WE BEGIN, YOU MUST ANSWER THE QUESTIONS. UP TO NOW, YOU HAVE BEEN REFERRED TO AS 'JS' TO KEEP YOUR IDENTITY HIDDEN. I WILL NOW LIST SEVERAL OTHER NAMES YOU CAN PICK FROM: WHITEWOLF, GHOSTCLAW, ICEBURN. CHOOSE THE ONE YOU MOST PREFER. YOU MAY CHANGE IT LATER IF YOU WISH."

Jon had no idea what was going on, but figured it was best to go along with it. "Uh… I guess Whitewolf will do for now."

"ACCEPTED. WHITEWOLF, YOUR FIRST MATCH BEGINS IN A FEW MOMENTS. YOUR OPPONENT WILL BE DESERTPRINCESS."

Suddenly, a second opening appeared on the opposite end Jon came in through. Through it a woman in Dornish attire walked in.

Suddenly, two metal poles appeared, one by where Jon stood, the other where the woman was walking to.

"WHITEWOLF, DOCK YOUR SCANNER ON THE HOLDER."

Jon was confused, until he saw the woman do so. He did as well.

Suddenly, a huge thing of light appeared in front of him, taking shape as a clear rectangle, but with wheels of squares of various colors at the bottom, and smaller lines of color making various shapes.

"WHITEWOLF, THIS WILL BE A ONE ON ONE BATTLE. TURN THE BLUE SQUARES TO SELECT A CREATURE AND MOVE IT ONTO THE BOARD. USE THE GREY FOR BATTLEGEAR, PURPLE FOR MUGIC, AND GREEN FOR LOCATIONS. YOU WILL DRAG EACH ONTO THE BOARD, BUT THE LOCATIONS WILL BE DRAGGED TO THE WHITE LOCATION RANDOMIZER UNDER THE SCREEN."

Jon touched the blue squares and moved them. Immediately, it brought up the artwork for one of his creatures, Owis. He kept turning it, seeing all the creatures he had in his deck. "Whoa." he said.

"First time?" The woman asked, as she was turning her circles and dragging images that Jon could not see.

"Yeah." Jon said.

"This will be easy." She said, and going by her turn, it was not encouragement to him.

'Okay then, gotta think of a strategy. The...Circle thing said it was one on one. In that case, I will go with my singular strongest creature.' He thought as he found Rothar and dragged him over.

'If it is one on one, then I should give Rothar a Mugician's Lyre so he can actually use Mugic. Which will be the Canon of Casualty.' He strategized, dragging it toward Rothar.

'As for locations… Ones that focus on things that can boost his stats or hurt his opponent. So Fear Valley, Gloomuch Swamp, and ones like those.' Jon thought as he dragged them down to the location randomizer.

"Alright, I'm done." Jon said, unsure what else to do.

"PLAYERS, LOCK YOUR DECKS. HIT THE ICON ON THE SCANNERS."

Jon did so, hitting the part that caused this mess in the first place.

Suddenly, his screen doubled in size as he saw his opponent's creature.

Going by it's Mugic symbol, it was an Overworlder. It looked to be a woman, and had skin that reminded him of some animal fur.

Jon tapped the Creature, and it's card appeared on the screen

Intress- Super Rare.

Energy: 45

Courage: 30

Power: 40

Wisdom: 35

Speed: 60

Ability: Water 5.

'Never seen that one before. Super Rare. No wonder.' Jon thought to himself.

"WHITEWOLF, AS THIS IS YOUR FIRST MATCH, SPIN THE LOCATION RANDOMIZER."

Jon did so, watching the screen go between locations until it settled on one.

"THE LOCATION SHALL BE… FEAR VALLEY. WHITEWOLF, CHOOSE YOUR ATTACKING CREATURE AND TARGET."

"Uh. Rothar attacks Intress." Jon said.

WHITEWOLF, PLEASE TOUCH YOUR IMAGE OF ROTHAR."

Jon did so.

And then… Things got weird.

Light appeared at Jon's feet, and started to crawl up his body. He suddenly felt heavier, but also stronger. Eventually, it reached his head, and he felt bone start to protrude from his head.

He looked at his arms, and saw they were red, and he felt a piece of metal in his nose.

He realized that he was wearing an identical outfit to what Rothar wore on his card art.

He was Rothar.

He looked up, and saw DesertPrincess touch Intress, and light appeared and turned her into Intress just as Jon was turned.

"Let's Get Chaotic!" Intress yelled.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and Rothar found himself outside.

FEAR VALLEY

Rothar looked around, and he saw he was in a valley with monstrous carvings made of stone and tree.

Rothar began walking around.

"Okay then. This is real. Or, it could be a really vivid dream." Rothar said to himself as he began walking around, looking at the location.

He heard a shriek, and ran towards it. There he saw Intress being hurled in the air by a strange creature that looked like it was made of smoke. It disappeared soon after.

I-35 (77%)

Seeing it do so reminded Rothar of something.

'Fear Valley damages the Creature with the lowest Courage. Intress must have just taken the damage.' Rothar thought to himself.

"There you are." Intress said, seeing Rothar just standing there.

"Hang on-" Rothar said, putting his hands up.

"Power Pulse!" Intress said, shooting Green fists right at Rothar, hitting him and sending him flying back.

R-65 (86%)

As Rothar stood up and recovered from the attack, he saw Intress charge forward.

"Thermo Rings!" Intress yelled, sending rings of cold air at Rothar, but this time he managed to dodge it.

'I need to attack or I'm done for.' Rothar thought. But how did he do that?

He put his hand forward, almost instinctively. "Vine Snare!"

Suddenly, the ends of his fingers grew into green vines, and shot forward and wrapped around Intress, throwing her into the side of a rock. But at the same time, he felt a bit of pain when the vines vanished.

I-25 (55%)

R-60 (80%)

'That's right, Rothar has Recklessness 5. So I need to end this quickly.' Rothar thought as he felt the pain.

"Lucky shot." Intress said.

Suddenly, there was a blue light, and something that looked like a bracelet appeared on her arm.

'Is that… A Torrent Krinth?' Rothar thought.

"Ice Disks!" Intress yelled as she shot a shield shaped piece of ice right at Rothar, hitting him square in the chest.

R-35 (46%)

Not letting up on the attack, Intress got in close. "Scout's Strike!"

She slashed ar Rothar, forcing him back to recover from the hit.

R-20 (26%)

Having put distance between them, Rothar hid in the shadows of one of the trees. He figured he did not have much time. And he was right.

"Song of the Dyad!" He heard Intress call out. He began to hear music, and suddenly a blue light struck him, alerting Intress to his general location.

R-10 (13%)

"How do I get out of this… Wait, she summoned her Torrent Krinth, shouldn't I have a Mugician's Lyre?" he muttered to himself.

Suddenly, there was a light and he looked down and saw the lyre in his hands.

"Alright now, how do I do this…" Rothar said to himself. He saw Intress run past his hiding spot, only to turn around as he plucked at the Lyre's strings.

Feeling a strange rush of energy, Rothar, once again more on instinct than what Jon would expect, called out, "Canon of Casualty!"

Suddenly, as Intress ran forward, a yellow light descended from the sky, striking her down and throwing her to the side.

I-5 (11%)

Seeing his chance, Rothar jumped out of hiding and slammed the ground. "Rock Wave!"

The ground overturned, jutting into the air, and striking Intress, causing her to turn into blue light that enveloped Fear Valley.

CRELLEN DROME

The next moment, Rothar was back in the Crellen drome, standing where he first turned, while DesertPrincess stood back in her human form.

Rothar felt his body weaken as light enveloped him from both below and above. Eventually, Rothar was back to being Jon Snow.

"THE WINNER OF THIS MATCH IS WHITEWOLF. CONGRATULATIONS." The glowing Chaotic symbol announced in its deep voice.

DesertPrincess grunted. "Beginners luck." and then she walked out. The red door opened as she approached it.

WHITEWOLF, BEHIND YOU A DRONE IS AWAITING OUTSIDE THE DOOR TO GIVE YOU THE OFFICIAL INTRODUCTION INTO THE WORLD OF CHAOTIC. WE WISH YOU GOOD LUCK IN ALL YOUR FUTURE MATCHES." The Symbol said.

The door opened behind Jon, and he walked out. There, as he was told there would be, was a floating piece of metal.

"So then Whitewolf, I take it you have questions?" the metal spoke.

"Yeah, I guess I have a few." Jon answered, looking around now that he was outside the drome.

"I would recommend we walk back to the Port Court as we talk, it will take awhile." The metal spoke.

And so the two began walking.

AN: I was not planning on writing this before the other stories I have mentioned, but I found my old cards and got in the headspace for it.

As stated, this will be more episodic than other fics, and more focus on Chaotic than Westeros, at least for now. I will focus on reaching an end point of KOT and writing more for Power Shift before coming back to this, but I just had to get it written out.


	2. ChH 2: Tutorial, Jon forgets about heat

AN: Sorry for the lateness of this post. I wanted to do some last minute checks.

To clarify something about this story: I will not be using Unique or Loyal in the dromes. It was never really a thing in the show, with Kaz using Chaor on the same team as Blazer and Zhade. Otherwise it should be essentially how the card game is played. If not, then I will say when I deviate.

Now then, let us see Jon get properly introduced into the world of Chaotic and Perim.

CHAOTIC-OUTSIDE OF CRELLEN DROME.

JON SNOW

As Jon walked side to side with the floating metallic object- the voice had called it a Drone- he began to think of what question should be asked first. He settled for the one that was the simplest. "So, where am I?"

"Yes, that is the most common first question. To put it simply, you are in Chaotic. It was founded and created by the same individuals who made the card game that is popular where you and everyone else comes from." The Drone explained. Its voice was more calm than before, or was that just Jon's mind panicking?

"Okay then." Jon said, still amazed just from looking around at everything that was going on. From the moving floor, to the additional people around who would occasionally fade out of existence with a blue light like Intress did in the battle.

"So how did I get here? One moment I was in my room and the next I was here after touching this symbol." Jon asked, pointing to the chaotic symbol on his Scanner, which was a smaller version of the box he was given to store his cards when he first began the game.

"There are two answers to that question. First of all, you were admitted to this place because you proved yourself to be skilled at the game. Perhaps you had a long winning streak or showed marked improvements in a short amount of time. Either way you were chosen for your skill, and this is why you are here. As for the second answer, you have not left your room. Since you are holding the Scanner, press the center button, and then touch the rightmost part of the outer button twice." The Drone requested.

Jon did so, and suddenly he was looking himself in the face. Except the one he was looking at was sleeping in his room.

"That is the you that has stayed behind. While you are here, you are also living out your life just as before at home. When you wish to head back, press that button and it will show you if your regular self is nearby. It will then glow again, and you will press the symbol again and be sent back. The you in Winterfell will gain all of your memories. Simply press the button again and you will be once again split between Chaotic and Westeros. And if your next question is 'how is this possible' then know that you will be unlikely to gasp exactly how. To put it simply, the founders of Chaotic created this place first, then created the card game and the scanner system in order to fill it with those who are worthy. Now, we have reached the 'Port Court" as it is referred to." The Drone said as they floated off the moving ground and reentered the building Jon first arrived in.

"Here, you can watch other matches, both new and recent ones, as well as enjoy food and beverage of your choosing. This place is mainly meant for meeting and connecting with your fellow players." The Drone explained as they moved through the tables. Stopping at ones with black tops.

"Here, you can insert your scanner and look through your entire deck. This can be done to trade or register new cards you scan into your deck. You can also use these tables to look up cards and their stats." The Drone explained.

Jon put his scanner in, and saw a format like the drome match appear. Jon spun the circles and his cards appeared on the table. Clicking on Marquis Darini brought up the full card as well as some additional information.

"What is this?" Jon asked as he looked over the info.

It said that he was the cousin of the Mipedian royal family, and that his favorite location was the Mipedim Oasis.

"Ah yes, I was getting to that. Arguably the most important part of the information. You see those circles on the ground over there? From there, you can port directly to Perim, where all the creatures exist." The Drone explained.

Jon looked at the drone, and then back at the circles. There was no way he just heard right. But with the day he was having…

"Are you serious?"

"Yes I am. Look! As we speak that female is walking towards it with a location scan-The Riverlands, no relation to the Westerosi one, I assure you- visible on her Scanner. And there she goes, heading to the Riverlands to search. Once you are in Perim, you can scan additional creatures and locations and gear into your scanner, and then use them here. You can not however use them in the card game, as you do not have the physical cards." The Drone said, walking Jon through the process.

The Drone then sent out a metal arm, and grabbed Jon's Scanner. "In order to scan, press the up button and then the center button and hold it. That will begin the scanning process. When you wish to head back here from Perim, simply press the center button by itself. That is the easiest and arguably the most important part of the scanner."

Jon tried to wrap his head around it all. "So, I can actually go anywhere I have a location scan of? Without turning into a creature?" Jon asked.

"That brings us to the more specific cases. To put it simply, you can, but not all. You have location cards from the game that you will not be able to port to. Or more specifically, you will be forbidden to port to them. This is for your own safety, as if you were to go there, you would almost instantly die."

"Like what?" Jon asked as he looked through the locations on the table.

"The Phlogiston and the Flame Gate. They are in fact right next to each other, but due to what their current condition is, they are currently inhospitable. If this ever changes, you will be informed and the ban will be lifted. As for other locations, some Chaotic Players will give updates on what is going on in certain locations. This will let you know how safe or dangerous a location is, and you can make the choice if it is worth it yourself. Since it was brought up, Mipedim Oasis was a relatively safe location the last time someone went there. The Mipedians who live there can be gracious hosts to those who do not insult them, and they may be understanding of accidents, but if you try to enter the Palace uninvited, they may turn on you quickly. Contrast this with the Lava Pond, where it is constantly dangerous, but with enough paths to be navigated safely. Or the Forest of Life, where little danger besides the creatures occurs. Mount Pillar and all its separate locations are constantly ranked among the most dangerous, as the Danians are very territorial." The Drone said as it brought up images of those locations one after another. Each accompanied by a letter representing how dangerous it was.

"As for the second part- being yourself, that also carries risks. As a human, you will be less able to defend yourself than the creatures of Perim. To give comparison, press the whole Scanner button down for five Seconds." The Drone ordered.

Jon did so, and writing appeared on the table.

WHITEWOLF

COURAGE : 45

POWER: 25

WISDOM: 30

SPEED: 20

ENERGY: 30

"These are your stats if you were a creature. Some attacks deal different amounts of damage depending on stats, so this will let you know. Your Courage is much higher than average for a human, as it your Power, though that by a lesser margin. Wisdom and Speed are about average. And Energy, well you know what happens when energy hits zero." The Drone ran through the numbers.

Jon gulped. Zero must mean he dies. But it looks like Ser Roderick's training may give him an edge in some cases.

"If I do die here, what will happen to me in Winterfell?" He asked.

"Nothing. Same if the reverse happens. You will be stuck here, but you could live here or in Perim. Some players in the more war ravaged parts of Essos learned that the hard way." The drone explained.

"So then, I just go to Perim, scan new creatures and gear, and face other players doing the same here?" Jon summarized.

"There is one more thing you should know. The Codemasters. Each Drome has one, and winning seven matches in a single drome will allow you to battle the corresponding Codemaster. However, should you lose five matches in a single drone, the win count for facing the Codemasters is reset to none. This was implemented after several players challenged their friends and had them lose on purpose to up their own win count. It acts as a penalty to discourage such intentional losses and make sure the victories were actually earned. The Codemasters are excellent players with unique skills and scans, and facing them is a privilege for those who earn it. If you do manage to beat one of them, they will give you an Ultra Rare location scan for you to use to scan the same creatures they used. But you should be aware that of the thousands of players in Chaotic, the number of players to beat a single Codemaster is only a few dozen. Even fewer have managed to defeat multiple Codemasters.

"Well then WHITEWOLF, this has been it for your initiation. Good luck in all your future scan quests and battles." And with that the Drone floated off, leaving Jon both surrounded, and alone.

SEVERAL HOURS LATER

PORT COURT

Jon spent the time walking around the tables in the Port court, talking with other players, getting everything straightened out. So far it looked like everything the Drone said was true.

Jon figured that since he was still asleep in Winterfell, he may as well go to Perim and check that out.

He looked through his location cards, trying to figure what would be a good first location to arrive at. When he spotted Mipedim Oasis, he figured it was the best bet, remembering what the Drone said about it. At only C, it was relatively safe.

He walked over to the circles on the ground, stood in one and pressed his Scanner. He was surrounded by light and the next moment he was out of Chaotic.

MIPEDIM OASIS

When the light cleared up, Jon immediately felt heat from the air itself.

'Oh right. Mipedians live in a desert.' Jon thought, immediately regretting his decision. He was still in all of his northern clothing. The complete opposite of what he should be wearing.

Jon began to look around. There were plenty of trees and buildings made out of stone.

And all around Jon, were the lizard like creatures that make up the Mipedian tribe. One building- Jon assumed it was the palace where the Mipedian royalty lived- stood almost as tall as Winterfell.

Jon walked down the streets. Despite being so different, he saw some stuff that he remembered from when his father brought him to White Harbor. There was a market selling stuff that Jon could not make out. He figured that location was his best bet at scanning something.

'But first, the location.' Jon thought. It was probably best to test this whole scanning process before he tried it in a crowded area.

He turned the Scanner so it faced one of the buildings, and he pressed the buttons the drone told him to. It let out a blue light and Jon thought he could see numbers and letters floating around, until a replica of the Oasis location card appeared on the scanner.

"Okay, so that is how it works." Jon muttered to himself. He began walking to the market, a bit curious what could be sold.

But he would not find out.

Jon felt himself be pushed to the ground. He looked up to see no one there, only for a Mipedian to appear before he could blink.

He was smaller than some of the others Jon saw in the distance, and his skin was golden. He wore golden brown spaulders on his shoulders and braces on his arms. On his head were several horns, and behind either side of his face were red frills that Jon learned from Maester Luwin could be puffed out for intimidation purposes.

Jon recognized him as Zhade.

"Well what do we have here? A spy for one of the other tribes?" Zhade asked no one in particular as he put his foot on Jon's chest. Jon could not move it off of him. The only reason he had not been crushed was because Zhade did not want to. Yet.

'He is way stronger than me. At least twice.' Jon thought to himself as he moved his hand over his scanner, ready to get out.

Suddenly, another Mipedian appeared. This one had orange skin, and a purple cloak ripped in part by spikes on his back. If not for his slouch, he would be a full foot taller than Zhade.

Jon recognized him as Sobjekt.

"Enough games Zhade. The human is no threat. Why do you do this every time a new one comes here?" The elder Mipedian spoke in a tired voice.

Zhade sighed and removed his foot from Jon's chest. "You have forgotten how to have fun." He complained half heartedly. He then used his tail to pull Jon back up to his feet.

Sobjekt walked up to Jon. "Apologies. Zhade is a Stalker. One of his duties is making sure that Chaotic Players and other creatures in our territory do not break the law. Rest assured, he will not become an issue unless you make him one." He explained both the purpose and the threat.

Meanwhile that little prank reminded Jon of something he had only momentarily forgotten. This was not Westeros. He was in a foreign land, and he needed to have his wits at all times.

"No problem. I understand why. I suppose it is hard living in a desert." Jon offered. He had heard about Dorne, but this was his first time seeing what it is like.

"Indeed. The majority of our territory is in desert land. That is why we have to be protective of places like here. Without it, we would have little hope of surviving, let alone competing with the other tribes." Sobjekt explained as he and Zhade walked with Jon.

"We could always take the land and territory with more resources." Zhade spoke up.

Sobjekt growled for a moment. "You have been working under Biondu for too long. He is an excellent warrior and Elite, but to do so would invite more repercussions than we could afford."

Jon listened to the two creatures discuss their own tribes politics. A few hours ago, these creatures were nothing but images on cards for a game he played in his spare time. But now? They were just as alive as he was.

After a while of talking, Zhade stepped in front of Jon. "Alright human. As recompense for my trick earlier, you are free to scan me."

Jon nodded and pulled his scanner back out. He pressed the same button he did earlier for the location scan, and watched as the Light focused on Zhade. Soon, a Zhade card appeared on his scanner. Jon read the Mipedian's stats.

Zhade- Common

Energy: 30

Courage: 70

Power: 55

Wisdom: 30

Speed: 65

Mugicians: 1

Jon noticed that it did not include the invisibility effect. But that made sense, A specific effect of invisibility was not usable in a drome. A Mipedian could stay invisible in combat in ways the game just did not allow. Instead, the invisibility itself was stronger, lasting more than just the first round of attacks.

"Thanks." Jon told the large creature.

"Don't worry about it. Just stay out of our battles and we won't bother you." Zhade said before tuning to Sobjekt. "I gotta go. Siado and Uro are probably on their way back from hunting Slurhk. They will probably have to report to Darini when they get back."

And with that, Zhade departed.

Turning to Sobjekt, Jon asked, "Who is Sluhk?"

Sobjekt's eyes filled with hate. "An Overworlder. One who has been a thorn in our tribe for years. Kinnianne is the ambassador of the Overworld, but for all her talks about peace, she is silent when he is brought up."

Jon was reminded about the Westerlands. Father said they were allies as they all obeyed the Iron Throne, but he should be wary of them because they used dishonorable actions. One specific rumor about a mother and her children came to Jon's mind.

"Well then, Thank you Sobjekt. It has been nice meeting you and seeing the Oasis." Jon told the large creature. He then took his scanner back out, and disappeared from Perim.

CHAOTIC- PORT COURT

Jon was once again standing on one of the white circles in the middle of the open area. Remembering what he learned about scanning, he went towards an open table and placed his scanner in it, confirming that he wanted to keep the Oasis and Zhade scans he had gotten.

Once they were in his deck, Jon received a message on the scanner.

WHITEWOLF, YOUR NEXT SCHEDULED MATCH IS A 3 ON 3 MATCH AGAINST PLAYER GOLDMIND IN THE TIRASIS DROME IN THREE DAYS AT NOON. YOU MAY CHALLENGE OTHER PLAYERS TO EARLIER MATCHES IF YOU WISH, BUT FAILURE TO SHOW WILL RESULT IN A FORFEIT.

There was no sign of who sent it, but it was obvious that this was an official match.

Jon checked his scanner for what was happening back at Winterfell, and noticed that it was showing his other self beginning to wake up with the new day.

'Well, better let myself know what is going on' Jon thought as he pushed the buttons to return home. Fading again from Chaotic as quickly as he came in.

WINTERFELL-JON'S ROOM

Jon awoke slowly from his sleep. He opened his eyes and out of the corner he saw his Chaotic container again glowing red in a steady pattern.

Figuring that doing the same as before would fix whatever it was, he pressed the glowing part again.

Then the memories started flowing in from his other self.

Drones.

Dromes.

Creatures.

Transforming.

Rothar.

Canon of Casualty.

Perim.

Zhada and Sobjekt.

Scanning.

Goldmind.

Jon was facing the ceiling on his bed as he came to grips with all the memories flooding into his head. This new world, where no one knew who he was. The other world, where creatures fought over control over land.

Despite the fear that he was going mad, Jon found himself smiling.

In a way, it was a challenge. If he could manage to make a name for himself there in Chaotic, he would have some way to prove his worth, even if most people in Westeros would not believe it.

He had a match against this Goldmind player in a few days. He better get ready.

He pressed the same buttons that brought him back to Winterfell, and headed back to Chaotic.

AN: And there we have the first journey to Perim. Hope you all enjoyed it.

This chapter was mainly getting the exposition out of the way, and getting Jon used to Chaotic and Perim.

I added a lose condition for the Codemasters, in part because I thought seven wins was a bit too easy. If that were the case, then Players who battle everyday would constantly be facing Codemasters every few days. The rule is based on Heaven's Arena from Hunter X Hunter, where it was 10 wins to challenge a floor master, 4 loses to get kicked to the bottom floor again.

I gave humans stats to explain injuries from attacks while on scan quests, as some attacks work depending on what the opponent's stats are.

As for location dangers, it will be like my Power Shift rankings.

D: Places like the Forest of Life, where only the creatures in it pose a danger. Forest of Life and such.

C: Locations that are themselves dangerous in addition to the creatures. Mipedim Oasis, Iron Pillar.

B: Actively dangerous locations, or locations with specific dangers. Places like Gigantemtopolis, or Gothos Tower. Mount Pillar is usually at B due to Danian hostility.

A: Very dangerous locations such as Lava Pond or Storm Tunnel.

S: The most dangerous locations. Prexxor Chasm with the Blight.

I am planning on expanding the cast, but for now it will only be Jon as he learns about everything. Tune in next chapter for his first 3v3 match in Chaotic

Hope you all stay safe during these times.

Jaehaerys_Joestar


	3. Chapter 3: GOLDMIND

AN: Apologies for the delay. Some issues came up in life that include a broken car and a family surgery. Everything is done, so the next chapters will hopefully be out on time. 

CHAOTIC- TIRASIS DROME  
JON   
Jon stood outside the Tirasis Drome, taking the time to examine its exterior. He had learned from watching matches that each drome was identical on the inside, but differentiated by their outward appearance.   
For the Tirasis Drome, it was mainly orange, while the Crellen Drome was Blue. It was surrounded by two golden support structures, giving the appearance that it was a head wearing a high collar. Above the entrance was a pair of wings, and between that, a blue line separating the orange halves.   
Jon had not challenged anyone to any matches before this, instead focusing on watching others face off from the Port Court. He had been to several locations in Chaotic, but he had mainly spent more time just experiencing the various locations than actively looking for things to scan.   
And now, here he was, about to have his second battle in a Drome.   
He checked his Scanner. According to it, there was only a few minutes until noon. Taking a breath, he walked into the Drome.   
He looked up to see the physical representation of Chaotic floating, just as it had in the Crellen Drome.   
Jon heard the sound of the door opening and turned to see his opponent walk in.   
He had tried to look up this GOLDMIND, but apparently images were restricted, so this was his first time seeing what he looked like.   
At first, Jon thought it was a young child, as the figure was draped in shadow, but was about as tall as Bran. However, his walk showed that his body was not that of a childs.   
‘A Dwarf?’ Jon thought in his mind. He knew about them, in fact, the Queen’s brother was said to be a Dwarf, but this was his first time meeting one.   
“I take it you are WHITEWOLF?” His opponent asked. He was now close enough that Jon could make out that he had gold hair, and his eyes were green and purple. “I was quite surprised to learn I had a match scheduled against a newcomer. Regardless, I am curious just how skilled you are.”   
“Aye. I am.” Jon said simply. For a moment, GOLDMIND starred at him, almost as if he had recognized his face, but Jon dismissed it as a possible mind game.  
Jon put his Scanner on the docking station. As he did, GOLDMIND did the same, with his docking station and screen being lower than Jon’s.   
Putting his opponent’s appearance out of his head, he began to strategize. He knew from reading his record that GOLDMIND was a skilled player, with more wins than losses. Both Father and Ser Roderick had drilled him and Robb on how to face a more experienced enemy commander.   
‘For my front line, I should probably put Rothar up, since I have experience with him.’ Jon thought as he selected the Underworld Bull man, and placed him in one of the two spots in the front.   
‘As for my other front line fighter, Marquis Darini may be a good way to test out Mipedian Invisibility.’   
Jon brought the Mipedian Royal to the other open slot.   
‘As for my last creature, Sobtjek. His ability can help me snag a victory if Rothar or Darini are about to lose.’  
Placing the Muge he had met his first day in the rear, Jon moved on to Battlegear.   
‘A Vlaric Shard for Rothar. It will increase his Earth attacks.’  
Jon placed the weaponized crystal onto Rothar.   
‘A Mugician’s Lyre on Sobtjek. That way he can cast a Mugic before I use his ability, assuming he has to fight.’ Jon thought.   
‘Finally… A Skeletal Steed will let Darini jump his front line and attack his back line first.’ Jon decided as he placed the Skeleton under the Royal.   
‘Mugic, I don’t really have a team built for it, so I should make each one an important one.’  
Jon ran through his Mugic and chose three that could turn the tide of a bad fight.   
‘Fortissimo, I saw what that could do in a Drone match the other day. Song of Geo Nova could damage a tough opponent. And Melody of Mirage can save me in a pinch.’ Jon selected the mugic before moving onto locations.   
“I should probably use the locations I have visited over the last few days. That should give me an edge.’   
He filled his locations with Mipedim Oasis, Glacial Plains, Riverlands, as well as the others he had visited. Coming up one short, Jon used his Lava Pond card to fill it up. ‘Better to learn about it in the game than in Perim.’   
All done with his preparations, Jon waited for GOLDMIND to do the same. It took only a few seconds for his opponent to finish up.   
“PLAYERS, LOCK YOUR DECKS.” The voice of Chaotic ordered.   
Both players did so, and once done, they viewed their opponents side of the board. 

Marquis Darini (Skeletal Steed)- - - - - - - - Nauthilax  
Jon - - Sobtjek (Mugician’s Lyre) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - H’earring - - GOLDMIND  
Rothar (Vlaric Shard) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Tarterek  
‘Underworlders and an Overworlder. Not a combination likely in Perim.’ Jon thought upon seeing his opponents side. He could see GOLDMIND thinking about his own line up as well.   
“Interesting choices…” GOLDMIND said after a few seconds.   
“BECAUSE HE IS THE LESS EXPERIENCED PLAYER, WHITEWOLF WILL HAVE THE FIRST ATTACK. SPIN THE LOCATION RANDOMIZER.” The Drome voice commanded.   
Jon nodded and spun it, watching it go through all of his locations before landing on Glacial Plains.  
He had only gone there for a few minutes, long enough to get a scan and check out the scenery.   
‘Well, I gave Darinin a Skeletal steed for a reason. Underworld Mugic will cost an extra Mugician to play. And H’earring will be an easier target than Nauthilax.’   
Jon revealed Darini’s Skeletal Steed.   
“Marquis Darini attacks H’earring.” Jon declared as he pressed his palm against his creature.  
Like before, the light enveloped his body, until he stood taller than before. His skin was replaced with greenish-yellow scales, a fin replaced his hair, and whiskers grew out of his cheeks. His clothes disappeared until he was shirtless, with only a loincloth and a cape.   
“Hmm. Another Interesting choice. But if it was a good one remains to be seen.” GOLDMIND said as he pressed his hand against H’earring. Just like Jon, he was enveloped in light until he was also replaced with his creature.   
H’earring was shorter than GOLDMIND by about nine inches. The creature had green skin and a small patch of red hair. He wore a fur shirt, but his biggest characteristic was his ears, which drooped down almost hitting the floor.   
“Fair warning. H’earring may be small, but he can pack a big punch.” GOLDMIND said before light enveloped the Drome.   
““Let’s Get Chaotic!”” Both creatures yelled simultaneously.  
Tirasis Drome- Glacial Plains  
Marquis Darini crouched down as he gathered his bearings in the location. He was not sure if it was simply a Creature thing, a Fire element thing, or some other reason, but the cold was not as bad as it was when he came here as Jon.  
“In a field out in the open, better get out of here before he spots me.” Darini muttered to himself before whistling.   
Blue light shone forth, and a Skeleton that resembled a horse-like creature with horns appeared in front of him.   
Darini jumped onto the Skeletal Steed, and sped away, hoping that he would come across H’earring first.  
‘Alright now, time to test out this invisibility thing.’ Jon thought from inside Darini.   
Stopping the Steed once they took cover behind a hill of snow, Darini closed his eyes and breathed. After a few seconds, he felt his scales seem to jump. Opening his eyes, he looked and saw that both himself and the Skeletal Steed were gone from sight.   
‘I suppose a steed without a rider would make Invisibility useless.’ Jon thought to himself.   
Darini spurred the Skeletal Steed onward, beginning to search for the small Underworlder who was his opponent. Several minutes passed, but Darini did not see any sight of the Green Creature.  
“Where could that little pest be?” Darini muttered as he stopped his Steed to get his bearings.  
And that was when the blast hit him from behind, throwing him off the Skeletal Steed.   
M-40 (88%)  
Darini quickly recovered and turned in the direction of the hit. There he saw his foe.   
H’earring was standing on a mound of snow. Next to him was a small hole, large enough for the Underworlder to fit in.   
‘So he was hiding in the mound.’ Jon realized.  
“Another word of advice. Mipedian invisibility doesn’t really matter if you're too loud to hide yourself.” H’earring said as he pointed at his ears.  
Darini realized what was being said. “Just great. I chose the one opponent who can counter invisibility to test it out.”  
But now he knew where his opponent was. Getting on his feet, Darini charged forward, readying an attack of his own as he got closer.   
Flame sprouted from his hands until it practically covered his entire body. WIth one motion, he shot forth the flame right at the green Underworlder. “Torrent of Flame!”   
H’earring was unable to dodge, and took the full force of the attack.  
H-35 (77%)  
The underworlder got back up, some small burns visible on his body, and ran over the mound and out of sight.   
Darini stopped his pursuit.   
‘If I turn invisible, he can still hear me. If I just chase him, he will have set a trap for me by the time I get there. Unless…’ Jon thought   
Darini whistled, and his Skeletal Steed ran up to him.   
Darini ordered the battlegear to rush right up the mound. Meanwhile, he turned invisible and went around.  
‘This way, he will think that the louder sound is me, covering my more quiet approach.’ Jon thought.   
But before he could see H’earring, the Skeletal Steed reached the top of the mound, only to suddenly be blown into pieces.   
Darini felt the ground shake and the ice crack, and he watched as H’earring’s battlegear was revealed to be a Vile Driver.   
‘Oh fuck.’ Jon thought as Darini stood still.   
H'earring’s ears perked up and turned, trying to find the Mipedian royal.   
“Airsault!” Darini yelled as he sent a miniature tornado right at H’earring. The underworlder hung onto the Vile Drivers controls, but was unable to avoid the hit. The Vile Driver itself was almost knocked over before H’earring stabilized the legs, further cracking the ice.  
“That’s it!” Darini exclaimed. He readied another attack, but in his moment of distraction, H’earring hit him with a blast from the Vile Driver.   
M-35 (77%)   
“Delerium!” a beam of light from H’earring’s head struck Darini.   
M-30 (66%)  
Darini shook off the mental assault, and aimed a strike right at the feet of the Vile Driver.   
“Ember Swarm!”   
The ice beneath the battlegear was hit, cracking it enough for the Vile Driver’s very weight to finish breaking it.   
H-25 (55%)  
H’earring and his gear both fell into the frigid water, where he tried to swim back to the solid ice.   
But Darini was waiting for him.   
“Power Pulse!” Green fists erupted from Darini’s hands, pushing H’earing back into the water.   
H-5 (11%)  
“Ectospasm!” Darini launched a final attack at the underworlder. A ball of blue energy with a red core. It hit H’earring and coded him.

TIRASIS DROME  
Darini stared down GOLDMIND until he turned back into Jon. He had won the first match, and eliminated one of his Mugicians.   
“Very clever strategy there. Some Battlegear are less effective depending on the location. Had we been in Forest of Life or Fear Valley, your trick would have failed. But now it is my turn” GOLDMIND complimented Jon.  
Jon nodded, prepared for whatever his opponent tried. He did not move Sobtjek up, as that would give GOLDMIND a new target to go after.  
GOLDMIND then spun his location randomizer.   
It landed on The Forest of Life.  
GOLDMIND took a moment to consider, and then declared his attack.   
“Tartarek attacks Rothar.”   
He pushed his hand against the Overworld creature, being enveloped in light until Tartarek stood in his place.  
A moment later, Jon did the same with Rothar. He felt the familiar change of the first creature he had turned into. Soon, he was once again Rothar, one of the Underworld’s strongest warriors.   
“Let’s Get Chaotic!” Both yelled at the same time as light enveloped the Drome.  
TIRASIS - FOREST OF LIFE  
Rothar ran along a beaten path made by many creatures who came through before.   
Inside Rothar, Jon was briefly reminded of the forests surrounding Winterfell, but in truth there was no comparison. This forest was warmer and brighter than he ever thought he would feel outside.   
He also sensed an increase in his own health as well. Rothar had high power and knocked his opponent’s own down by ten. He was practically always guaranteed to win the Forest of Life’s extra energy.   
Rothar slowed down as he came across a stream.   
Just as he was about to decide whether to travel up or downstream, he heard an old man’s voice yell from behind him.   
“Hydro Balls!”  
Rothar turned around, but was too late to get out of the way of the spheres of water that shot forward and pushed him into the stream.  
R-70 (87%)  
Rothar got up quickly, and summoned his Vlaric Shard as he found Tartarek emerging from the bushes.  
He tried to jump out of the water, only for the stream itself to grab onto him as waves rose higher than they had any right to.  
“Riptide!” He heard Tarterek say as the waves crashed into him, submerging him again.   
R- 60 (75%)  
Rothar let himself float down the stream a bit before getting out, putting distance between them.   
“I thought Tarterek couldn’t use elemental attacks. That Riptide was too strong.” Rothar complained.   
“Guess you’ve never seen a Hydro Ball before.” Tartarek yelled as he approached. “It gives wise enough creatures the ability to use water attacks. And since I used Riptide while having the water element, you lost twenty five courage. Which means… Skeletal Strike!”  
Suddenly, Tartarek’s own bones came out of his chest, forming a skeleton version of the Overworlder. It jumped at Rothar, but the Underworlder managed to avoid it before grabbing its head and tossing it into the stream. The bone creature faded as they returned to Tartarek.   
“Yeah, well two can play at that. Force Strike!”   
A bolt of golden Lightning struck forth from Rothar’s hands right at Tarterek. He raised his hand, revealing his battlegear to be the Ring of Na’arin, which had boosted his energy. The ring created a shield, although some of the lightning penetrated it, pushing the turtle-like creature backwards.   
T-45 (81%)  
R-55 (68%)  
Rothar charged forward, hoping to get in close and deal a lot of damage at once.   
Tarterek took a step back and brought both his hands to his head.   
“Mind Strike!”   
The blue wisdom symbol appeared from Tarterek’s head and hit Rothar before he could dodge. He was thrown by the force into a tree.  
R-35 (43%)  
As Tarterek approached for another attack, Rothar raised his arm.   
“Vine Snare!”  
Rothar felt his Vlaric Shard boost the attack as Tarterek was raised into the air and thrown into the stream. He managed to crawl out, but he was still restrained.   
T-30 (54%)  
R-30 (37%)  
‘Vine Snare makes you lose speed. He must be close to zero.’ Jon thought as he observed his opponent.   
Both creatures managed to get back on their feet, only this time they kept their distance, neither wanting to fall into the other’s trap.   
Tartarek made the first move. He threw his hand forward and shouted. “Flashwarp!”  
Rothar was blinded briefly by the light, but he realized a moment later that he was actually not injured.   
‘Wait a minute… Flashwarp only deals damage to creatures with less power than you. Why would he use it when I have basically three times his power.’ Jon thought a moment too late.   
The answer was that Flashwarp was a distraction, blinding Rothar to hide the attack from behind.  
Rothar turned and briefly caught a glimpse of the Shadow Strike as it slammed him and pushed him into the stream.  
R-20 (25%)  
Rothar swam to shore as quickly as his arms could carry him, but while doing so, he heard the unmistakable notes of a mugic.   
“Song of Recovery! Heal me!” Tarterek’s voice commanded as light descended from the sky and evidence of the battle disappeared from the Overworlder’s body.  
T-50 (90%)  
“Gotta end it now. And fast.” Rothar muttered as he quickly hit the ground.   
“Earth Pulse!”   
The ground shook as a wave of power rippled out, destroying the ground that Tarterek was standing on.   
T-30 (54%)  
R-15 (18%)  
‘I’m not gonna last much longer. Gotta take him out in two attacks before he can launch one of his own.’ Jon thought as Rothar ran forward, throwing caution to the wind.   
“Power Pulse!”  
Green fists shot out of Rothar and hit Tarterek, forcing the old creature back but still on his feet.   
T-10 (18%)  
R-10 (12%)  
“Now to finish this!” Rothar yelled as he readied a final Vine Snare to squeeze the life out of his enemy.  
But the attack did not come.   
Rothar found himself blinded and his breathing and arms restricted. Whatever it was, it kept him from attacking, but allowed him to still hear Tarterek’s final words.   
“Reckless Defeat.”  
With that, Rothar burst into code as the match ended. 

TIRASIS DROME  
Jon watched as Tarterek returned to the appearance of GOLDMIND.  
“An admirable attempt. Normally, when using a creature with Recklessness, ending a match quickly is the best, but overdoing it can result in you not being able to attack without defeating yourself.” The dwarf said.  
“I can see that.” Jon said as he observed the field.   
Sobtjek was in range of Tarterek. But Darini was capable of attacking either him or Nauthilax.   
Jon spun the location randomizer. It went through all of his locations before finally landing on the most dangerous one Jon had.  
The Lava Pond.  
‘I have to take out Tarterek. If I do not, then Sobtjek is essentially done for. Besides, Darini’s fire attacks will be stronger, though his air will be weakened.’  
“Marquis Darini attacks Tarterek.” Jon yelled as he once again hit the image of Darini and began the transformation. The same happened with GOLDMIND and Tarterek.  
“Let’s Get Chaotic!” They yelled in unison once again.

TIRASIS DROME- LAVA POND  
Even as he appeared in the infamous location, Darini was calm. He closed his eyes, and turned invisible.   
The Lava Pond was too dangerous a location to move around recklessly. If he stayed invisible until Tarterek appeared, he may be able to get the jump on him this time.   
Unfortunately, Darini could not hear any creature-made sounds over the Lava’s constant crackling of fire. So he was forced to move around slowly, if only to get a better view of the location.   
It took a few minutes, but Darini spotted Tarterek when he was forced to call upon the Ring of N’aarin to protect himself from lava that almost fell on him. He was still a distance away, but he was approaching Darini.   
He knew from the last battle that Tarterek had more Energy than Darini, but without Recklessness, it was close enough that he had a chance.   
As Tarterek got closer, Darini moved into a crevice. When he was close enough, Darini got behind him and let out a fire attack before he could turn.   
“Inferno Gust!’   
The wind caught on fire, and barreled towards Tarterek, who was unable to defend himself. The attack dealt additional damage based on Speed, and while Darini’s was not that significant, it was enough to deal the extra damage.   
T-35 (63%)  
Darini kept the attack up, not giving Tarterek any time to recover.   
“Lavalanche!”  
Lava erupted from Darini’s hands and rushed forward at Tarterek. He attempted to block it with his ring, but that just caused the Lava to pool at his feet, burning them severely.  
T-15 (27%)  
At this point, Tarterek recovered enough to begin his own attacks.   
“Unsanity!”  
Darini clutched his head as the mental attack forced him to cease his attack.   
M-35 (77%)  
Tarterek ran towards Darini, ready to continue his onslaught, but the terrain between them chose that moment to erupt.  
Darini flinched in pain as some of the lava landed on his leg, forcing him to his knees.   
M-30 (66%)  
Tarterek, who had blocked the lava with his ring successfully this time, took the opportunity that presented itself.   
“Rustoxic!” Tarterek breathed out a brown dust that covered Darini’s body. Every second, it got harder to move.  
M-20 (44%)  
Darini realized that he had moments before he was completely incompacitated. With only instinct, he pointed his heavy arm right at Tarterek and yelled.  
“Airsault!”  
A blast of air shot forward from Darini’s hand, Hitting Tarterek right in the chest and sending him flying.   
T-5 (9%)  
The attack had been weakened because of the location, but the location would end up deciding the match.   
Tarterek ceased to fly, and instead started falling. He desperately tried to grab on to the edge of a cliff before he hit the actual pond, and succeeded. However, seeing it, even as he was frozen, Darini summoned his Skeletal Steed and had it ram right into Tarterek as he pulled himself up, throwing them both towards the lava. He was coded before the pain could register.

TIRASIS DROME  
Darini felt his body restore itself and return his mobility, only for his body to quickly return to being that of Jon Snow.   
“Clever use of battlegear.” GOLDMIND complimented Jon. “Some players I faced, especially the new ones, consider the card game’s rules to be the same as here. Not many think to use gears or tricks in unique ways. You would not believe how many do not even try to dodge…”  
“My thanks.” Jon said. He was grateful for the compliment.   
But the match was not over. One creature remained: Nauthilax.  
Marquis Darini was between him and Sobtjek, so it was obvious what the next match would have to be. It was up to Jon to make sure it was the final match. No doubt Sobtjek would lose to the Underworld’s water element expert.  
GOLDMIND spun the location randomizer, going through several locations before landing on some buildings with giant faces carved into them.   
Gigantemtopolis.   
A location known for traps and hidden passages.   
“Nauthilax attacks Marquis Darini.” GOLDMIND initiated the battle, touching Nauthilax’s image and turning into the green creature, while for the third time, Jon became the Mipedian royal Marquis Darini.  
“Let’s Get Chaotic!” They yelled in unison before light brought them into the location.

TIRASIS DROME- GIGANTEMTOPOLIS  
Darini was in a room that looked like a mess hall. He also was less than a tenth the ancient broken chair’s height.   
Wasting no time, Darini whistled, calling forth his Skeletal Steed for the third time.   
Jumping on the dead cavalry, he rode out the mess hall and into the main halls.   
He had to find Nauthilax, and the Underworlder’s own Recklessness gave him the same advantage that lost him the match last time.  
Hearing a sound, and fearing that he had tripped a trap, Darini slowed down for a moment.   
‘Is that, running water?’ Jon thought inside of Darini, reminded of some rivers near Winterfell that moved too fast to freeze over.   
A moment after that thought, he saw behind him that the entire hall was being flooded with water.   
Commanding his battlegear to go as fast as it could, Darini ducked into a crack in a closed door.   
The room was dark, but a small flame in his hand fixed that problem.   
The room appeared to be a storage area of some kind.   
The water from the hall shot forward out of the same crack Darini had used, but that meant that it was filling the room slower.  
Though it appeared that Darini was stuck in this room for now.   
‘That was a powerful Water attack. Or he triggered a trap that flooded the hall. If the people here were giants, then this may be no bigger issue than wet boots for them.’ Jon thought as he tried to come up with a strategy.   
Nauthilax was a strong creature. It’s weakest discipline was Wisdom, so Darini figured he could outsmart the Underworlder. However, in the other three disciplines, Nauthilax’s were all greater than his own. Twice his courage and power, and he was faster, but not by as much. And as a master of the Water element, he could move more easily in the drowned halls. Perhaps he could…   
Darini’s thoughts were interrupted when he noticed something. The water coming through the crack was slowing down.   
‘Something is physically blocking it.’ Jon thought.   
Darini turned invisible, until he saw that doing so left a hole in the water showing where he was. Once again, invisibility would be useless here.  
Instead, Darini took a fighting stance, ready to call upon an attack.  
Suddenly, Nauthilax’s arm shot forward, along with his voice.  
“Ice Disks!”   
A circle of ice and rock- though mostly ice, Darini noted- appeared in the Underworlder’s hand, only to immediately shoot out blindly, missing Darini before embedding itself into the wall.   
N- 55 (91%)  
‘That’s what took him so long. He has been checking each room after as he goes.’ Jon realized.   
“Well, you found me.” Darini muttered before readying an attack of his own.   
“Fireram!”   
Darini threw his arms forward as the flames took the appearance of a ram’s horn and shot straight into the crack in the door. He heard the pained scream of Nauthilax, who then emerged, rushing forward. Upon his arm, Darini recognized the Torrent Krinth.   
“Finally found you.” The Underworld creature gloated.   
Both creatures raised their hands, and spoke in unison.  
““Torrent of Flame!””   
Fire shot out of both their hands and hit each other, although the Torrent Krinth made Nauthilax’s slightly stronger.   
M-30 (66%)  
N-40 (66%)  
As Darini tried to recover from the hit, Nauthilax was preparing his next attack.   
“Riptide!”  
Like with Rothar, the water jumped up into waves, and sent Darini into its depths.   
M-15 (33%)  
N- 35 (58%)  
Darini realized that this could very well be the end. He could see Nauthilax approach him underwater. There was one plan that may work.   
“Obscuring Winds!”   
Lightning and wind shot forward and struck Nauthilax, but unlike other attacks, this one did no damage.  
Nauthilax actually emerged from the water to examine himself.   
“Was that all you got? This was easy. Tidal Swirl!”  
All the water in the room floated into the air, forming a whirlpool that Nauthilax threw at Darini.   
N-30 (50%)  
Darini ran.   
He ran right up to Nauthilax, dodging the Tidal Swirl and delivered his own attack.  
“Clashjet!”   
His body covered in flames and wind, he tackled right into the Underworlder.  
N-20 (33%)  
“W-what!” Nauthilax said as he recovered from the hit. “That’s impossible, you shouldn’t be that fast!”  
It was true. Darini was now moving too fast for Nauthilax to hit. He faced the Underworlder once again, and decided to buy himself some time. Darini pointed his fist into the floor.  
Flying Advantage!”   
Darini jumped up as the felt his power and energy both increase as he got further out of Nauthilax’s range.  
M-20 (44%)  
Now all Darini had to do was sacrifice-  
“Geo Flourish!” Nauthilax yelled as the music played and restored his energy as well.  
N-35 (58%)  
“Shit.” Darini muttered.   
“Fluidmight!”  
Nauthilax yelled as the water formed a fist and struck a distracted Darini.   
M-5 (11%)  
N-30 (50%)  
“W-what? You’re still alive!?” Nauthilax exclaimed in shock. Understandably, as Fluidmight should have been enough to finish Darini off.   
‘Now or never.’ Jon thought as he recovered from the hit. Now Nauthilax couldn’t protect himself with mugic.   
“Sobtjek!” Darini yelled.   
Suddenly, the ghost of the orange skinned Mipedian muge appeared in front of a Nauthila, who was preparing to finish Darini with a final attack. Distracted by the third creature, Nauthilax stood still enough for Sobtjek to jump onto him and burst into light, knocking the Underworlder to the wall.  
N-5 (8%)  
Darini stood up.   
“Well now, it looks like you can’t attack without coding yourself.” He said with a laugh.   
Not wanting to take any chances, Darini put his hand forward.   
“Airsault!”   
The miniature tornados shot forward and struck the Underworlder as he tried to move his injured body out of the way. The aquatic spy burst into code as his back hit the wall again. 

TIRASIS DROME  
As Darini turned into Jon, he noticed a curious look on GOLDMIND’s face.  
“What happened in that last battle? I realize now that I turned back why you survived my last attack. I had tried to finish with Tidal Swirl, which as Nauthilax, I had forgotten removed my ability to use Water attacks, but the Torrent Krinth made up for it, so I did not notice. That is how you survived with only five energy. But how did you increase your speed so much?” His defeated opponent asked. There was no anger like with DESERTPRINCESS. Only genuine curiosity.  
“Obscuring Winds.” Jon explained. “You can choose to have the attack deal no damage, and in exchange, you gain a hundred speed. I realized I needed such a boost to have a chance of dodging in the water.”  
GOLDMIND laughed as he removed his Scanner from the Dock.   
“Impressive. Truthfully I hardly ever use low wisdom creatures, but I had just scanned Nauthilax and figured a new player like yourself would be a good test. Congratulations on the unique strategies.”  
Jon picked his Scanner up as well and the duo walked out of the Drome.   
“My thanks. GOLDMIND. You did quite well yourself.”  
“I would not give praise if it was undeserved… Jon Snow.”  
Jon stopped as they exited the Drome. He stared at the opponent who he had never met before today.  
“How-” He tried to ask only for GOLDMIND to interrupt him.  
“I know your Father. It has been years since we met, but you are the spitting image of him. And I had heard that your brother Robb does not take after him. Add in your player name, and it was obvious to me. Do not worry though, I doubt there are many others who would recognize Lord Eddard as easily.”  
GOLDMIND stopped walking as well, looking over the open area of Chaotic. “You know you are lucky. You are capable of hiding the most hated part of yourself from everyone here. I on the other hand, am known as a Dwarf both here and in Westeros.”  
Jon took in what he was just told.   
“You are Tyrion Lannister.” He said bluntly.  
“Aye. I am. Though few of the players not from Westeros know me as more than a Dwarf. Works in my favor, as it means they underestimate me.” The queen’s brother explained as they resumed walking back to the Port Court.   
“Any reason you decided to tell me all of this?” Jon asked.  
The now identified lord smirked. “Partially curiosity, partially so you have an easier time adapting than I, and partially as a reward for beating me. In any case, I can see that you are very much like your father, and yet you have a weight on your heart that you carry everywhere. But, that should not be here. This place, it is a miracle, that is the best way to describe it. Leave your worries in Winterfell, and just enjoy what Chaotic has to offer.”  
With that, Tyrion took another path, leaving Jon alone once again. 

AN:And that is another chapter done!  
I did not think it would be this long. I tried to rush through the last two matches to have this out as soon as I could, while still showing the full battle.   
In light of this chapter, I think it is clear that any 6v6 matches have two parts. Luckily, the next two chapters are more Perim focused, so they should be easier to write.   
I did not initially plan for Jon to win with Darini each match, but the Marquis was the first creature I ever got from a booster pack, and has remained my favorite. Do not worry, this will be the last time he has such a winning streak by himself.  
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and the introduction to Tyrion. Have a good day.  
Jaehaerys . Joestar.


	4. Chapter 4: The Beta Drome

AN: Sorry this chapter is even later than the last. On the bright side both the family and the mechanical issues have been resolved. I am a few days away before I start up classes virtually, so be aware that I may have to transfer into a chapter every 2 weeks instead of once per week schedule. It depends how my course load goes. But for now, enjoy the chapter!

JON

PERIM- FOREST OF LIFE

Completely unintentionally, Jon found himself walking down the same beaten path that he had walked as Rothar while facing off against Tyrion Lannister.

Since that match, he kept remembering what Lord Tyrion had said. About how he was free from those around him knowing of his Bastardry, He remembered he had also thought the same when he first sent himself back to Winterfell. Unfortunately, he had carried the weight of the name Snow and what it meant for more than a decade. Getting rid of that burden would take some getting used to. And everytime he went back to Winterfell, he would regain that weight. Nothing he could do specifically for now, so he might as well throw himself into what Chaotic was meant for.

It had been only two days since that battle, and Jon had not been informed of any scheduled battles, nor challenged by any other players. Instead, he focused on watching others matches and exploring Perim. Which brought him to the reason he was here.

He had heard a rumour about a special battlegear that only Dractyl was able to make. And rumour had it that Dractyl's home was currently in a tall tree, though he did move it every moon or two. Jon hoped to have to get two things: This battlegear, and a location scan of Dractyl's nest. He imagined how he could use long range attacks from up top, similar to how a castle's wall gave the defenders a safe advantage against ground forces.

He found the large tree after several hours of trekking through the forest. It was just as it had been described, with roots and vines covering the base, while the top was more like a flat curved vine instead of the leaves of the other trees.

"Okay then... Now for the hard part." Jon muttered to himself.

He did in fact have experience climbing. Bran may have surpassed him long ago, but he and Robb had given their brother his first lessons in moving up and down the walls.

He had also come better prepared for the weather than he had previously. He had asked a Drone about it, and the floating metal machine brought him clothing fit for the location he specified. His pants were the same, but his shirt was a lighter cloth than the one he had come in wearing. His coat had also been left behind. He had been informed by the Drone that if he ported out without wearing the coat, it would be added to the clothing for those who wanted to go to colder locations.

Making sure his Scanner was tucked safely in his pocket, he grabbed onto the tree and began climbing it.

The Vines wrapped around the tree were thick enough to hold Jon's weight. They were also easy to grab a hold of.

On his way up, Jon considered what specifically he should do. If Dractyl was there, then perhaps he should get the location scan quick then come back later and hope the Overworlder was gone. If he was not, then he hoped to have enough time to look around for the Battlegear.

Jon knew better than to look down while climbing. Instead, he judged his success by looking at the other trees. He was just below the crown of most of the trees. But he still had about a third of the way to go.

Taking another breath, he continued climbing at a steady pace. He heard something, like an attack. But it was far away.

'Another tribe must have reached the Forest.' Jon thought. In the few days he had been here, he had seen minor skirmishes at several locations. If it got closer, he may have to cut his losses and port out, but for now he would continue to climb.

He reached the top and Dractyl's nest, although it was made of straw and sticks, it more resembled a house that made up many villages in the North.

"Does Dractyl even have hands? How did he make this? Questions for later." Jon muttered to himself. Now, he had work to do. It would either make or break this quest.

Jon grabbed his Scanner, and pointed it at Dractyl's nest/house. A few seconds later, and he had a new Forest of Life Scan.

Jon approached the nest, and as he did, his nose was struck by an unbelievably foul stench.

'What the-' Jon thought as he turned to the smell to get a good look,

It was a bunch of purple scales, though they were larger than any Jon thought was possible on Westeros since the dragons died out.

'So, Dractyl molts. Wait… The others said that Dractyl MAKES Battlegear. Did they mean-'

Jon's train of thought was diverted when he saw something in the back of the nest move. It was large and red, but that was all Jon could make out from this position. Luckily, it appeared to be asleep.

'Alright then, so Dractyl is here. I better hurry up and finish scanning.' Jon thought as he pulled his Scanner out and pointed it at the scales by his feet, praying the sound was too quiet to wake the Overworld Scout.

Sure enough, the scales were in fact Battlegear. Dractyl Scales. Not the most original name, but they gave those who ate them more energy while lowering the disciplines of the opponent. Probably from the stench.

Jon was about to port back to Chaotic, but a thought occurred.

'This may just be my best chance to Scan Dractyl. I can just port out before he fully wakes up.'

Pointing his Scanner at the sleeping creature, he activated it for the third time. A few seconds later, he saw the Dractyl image on his screen.

Dractyl-common

Energy: 40

Courage: 30

Power: 85

Wisdom: 35

Speed: 90

Mugicians: 0

'Alright!' Jon thought. This had been a better trip than he could have hoped for.

He was about to port out, when suddenly an attack hit the tree, shaking it greatly and throwing Jon to the ground, right next to a hole that he barely missed falling through.

It also stirred Dractyl out of his sleep. The moment he opened his eyes, Jon was the first thing to enter his vision.

Dractyl spread his wings out in an attempt to appear more intimidating.

"What have you done to my home Human?!" The Overworlder screeched, hurting Jon's ears.

"N-nothing. That wasn't me. I just came for a few sc-"

Jon was cut off as Dractyl's foot was placed right in front of his face. Jon's eyes widened at just how sharp his talons were.

Just as Dractyl was about to make another move, a new voice called out.

"DRACTYL! GET DOWN HERE!"

Dractyl looked out the hole. Jon strained his head as well to see. It was a blue creature, but it was too far to see if Jon recognized him.

Dractyl growled before turning back to Jon. "You aren't staying here without me Human." Dractyl's taloned feet then grabbed Jon's shoulders, and the two of them became airborne.

Jon briefly noted how much quicker getting down had been compared to getting up, but he could also feel Dractyl's talons cut his shirt and dig into him enough to draw blood.

When they were only a few feet above the ground, Dractyl slowed down enough to stay in place, and dropped Jon the last five or so feet. Jon landed on his legs, but felt his foot twist in a way he knew it was not meant to. He forced his yell of pain down into a mere grunt instead, and then took stock of what was going on now.

The blue creature he had seen from above was now recognizable. It was the Overworld's foremost scout, Gespedan. One of the fastest creatures in Perim. Behind him was a Mowercycle, and in the seat was another player. This one had black hair, but that was all Jon could make out, as he was crouched in pain, bleeding from his shoulder.

"Hey human, you okay?" Gespedan asked Jon. In an instant, the Blue scout was standing next to Jon, inspecting his body for injuries. Jon noticed that he and the other player were not the only injuries. Burn marks and blood was visible on the Scout's body as well. The worst being his hand missing two fingers.

"Nothing too bad." Jon answered as he looked at the Creature's injuries.

Dractyl then grabbed Gespedan's attention.

"What is it Gespedan? I was about to punish this intruder for coming into my home." Dractyl asked as the ground shook from an attack.

"Danians. Ekuud is leading five or six Mandiblors. I got injured so Blazer gave me his Mowercycle to get backup. He, Owis and Velreth are fighting them off." Gespedan explained as the sounds of combat got closer.

Dractyl did little to hide the fear and panic that appeared on his face at the news. After a moment, he spoke. "Alright then, I will go North to tell everyone I see."

"Oh no you don't!" Gespedan yelled. "You are going to go help them out. I doubt they have any way to hit you in the sky, not with your speed, just rain attacks on them from above and they will retreat."

Dractyl growled again. "Why should I? Getting more creatures would reduce the risk of losing."

Gespedan pointed at Jon. "Remember what Bodal said? We are supposed to not pick fights with humans unless provoked. If you don't help, then I will tell Kiru City about this human."

Jon noted that fact for later.

"He started it!" Dractyl objected.

"And he was likely about to leave. Same with my guy." He pointed at the human on the Mowercycle. "He scanned me and was about to leave, but he was hit by the Danian's before he could escape. How you feeling now?" He yelled at the other human.

"I can manage." He grunted out as he tried to stand.

Dractyl finally surrendered to Gespedan's thinking. "Fine, but if the fight goes on too long, I am getting out of there."

With that, the Scout flew up above the treeline, leaving the two humans with Gespedan.

"Alright then, I take it you two can take care of yourselves from here? I gotta find more creatures to push them back." With that, Gespedan helped the other human off the Mowercylce, and sped off.

Jon limped over to the other human. "Hey, you got your Scanner?"

The other player pulled his red one out of his pocket. "I was about to leave. You?"

Jon nodded as he pulled his out. "I got what I came for. And I do not want to get caught up in whatever battle is going on."

The two of them ported out simultaneously.

CHAOTIC

Jon had discovered something new.

It turns out that when players receive injuries from Perim, they are not sent to the Port Court, but instead to an infirmary of some kind.

Both he and his new companion were immediately swarmed by Drones that carried them to beds. There were two other players, one who was screaming about his burns and another who had almost died of heat in the Mipedian Desert after losing her Scanner in a Sandstorm. She had found it just in time.

As the claw marks in his shoulders were being sewn shut, Jon was informed that he simply had to return to his body in Winterfell and come back, and he would come back as good as new. But this Infirmary was made in part for those too injured to return completely, or those who do not have a body outside of Chaotic and Perim. Jon recognized a sound emanating from the walls itself. It sounded like Song of Resurgence and other Healing Mugic he had heard from watching matches. He was unsure if it actually did anything, or was merely meant to be part of the theme.

Jon turned to the human who he had come with. Now that he was lying down, he could make out more of his appearance. In addition to his black hair, he had pale skin and was fairly gaunt.

"So then, what is your Player name?" He attempted to make conversation with the man.

"...Hunter3. Just call me Bale if you want. You?" The man replied.

"WHITEWOLF. Or Jon if you want" Jon answered. He had learned that it was safer to give his Chaotic name than his real one, but at the same time, a first name would be no issue, especially since Bale had given his. "You scanned what you wanted?"

"Aye. Though I obviously wasn't expecting a Danian squad to attack just as I finished. Luckily, I scanned Gespedan before he got injured."

Jon nodded. "That was the first time I saw a creature injured outside of the Dromes. You think he will be okay?"

"I think so." Bale said. "Mugic can heal even severed limbs, I have seen it happen. If he survives, I am sure he will rush off to a healer."

Jon replayed the memory of speaking with the Overworlder. "There is something I don't get. What was Gespedan talking about when he said they were not supposed to interfere with us?"

"You haven't heard?" Bale asked, a bit of surprise in his voice. "Apparently a player is helping the Overworlders with constructing Battlegear. I hear he is an apprentice Blacksmith from King's Landing. As a condition of his help, the Overworlders are to be less hostile to us."

Jon thought it over. It did seem like a good deal, but he imagined that if it became known to the other creatures of Perim, that it would be more difficult to scan non-Overworlders.

"Well then." Bale said as he got up, his injuries bandaged up enough for him to move.

He looked at Jon. "WHITEWOLF, would you care to test out our new scans in the Beta Drome?"

Jon was a bit surprised by that. He had heard of the Beta Drome and had seen their matches.

The Beta Drome allowed the players to choose their own rules in a battle. One creature versus six, a team of a single creature for a full six on six, a match where one player uses mugic and the other uses battlegear, the amount of challenging matches was endless. Some players also used it to scope out locations before heading there.

Jon thought it over. There was no Codemaster for the Beta Drome, and it would not affect his record of wins and losses, due to the unique rules. So he had nothing to lose if he was defeated, but also nothing to gain if he won.

But it would let him test out his new scans before he was forced to rely on them in a more official match.

"Sure." Jon decided.

BETA DROME

Jon and Bale entered the Drome, with Bale giving a rundown of how it differed.

"Just put in the stuff you scanned in the last day or so. Leave anything you don't have blank. I suppose locations can be anything."

Jon nodded and did so. He selected Dractyl and the Scales, interested in seeing they boosted Energy, but more so for H'earring. He would have to keep that in mind for if he ever scanned the Underworlder.

Filling in the locations he figured a flyer like Dractyl would do well in, he finished up and locked his deck.

Bale finished at about the same time, and the two saw a board that surprised neither of them.

Jon Dractyl- - - - - - - Gespedan Bale

"So, who is going to attack?" Jon asked.

"Mind if I? I was injured worse than you, seems only fair." Bale suggested.

Jon nodded and Bale spun the Location Randomizer. It went through all of his before landing on the Riverlands.

"Gespedan attacks Dractyl." Bale said as they both pressed onto their Scouts.

Jon felt himself transform once again. But this was new. It felt stranger than the others, and Jon realized it was because Dractyl was the least Human Creature he had used so far.

He felt himself grow taller and his mouth extended into a beak. While this occurred, his arms shifted to accommodate wings as his toes and feet became Talons.

He looked at his opponent to see Gespedan, without any injuries standing before him.

""Let's Get Chaotic!"" They yelled in unison before light faded the Drome's features out of existence.

BETA DROME- RIVERLANDS

Dractyl immediately started flapping his wings in a way that came more naturally to him than one would think it would for Jon.

Dractyl glided through the sky for a few moments, just taking in how it felt, before quickly shifted into hunting on instinct.

'Okay, he can probably see me already, so I need to focus on avoiding the first attack he sends my way. I can use that to find him.' Jon thought as he let himself be a target.

Dractyl waited, but no attack came.

"What is taking him so long?" Dractyl muttered as he dove down towards the River, hoping to draw him out. He went so far as to touch the ground, but still Gespedan was nowhere to be found.

Dractyl felt uneasy. Maybe it was a valid concern, maybe it was his low courage, but he felt as though he was in a trap.

Dractyl closed his eyes briefly, and then opened them just as fast.

"Instantaneous Inspiration!" Dractyl yelled the attack name and had a sudden vision of Gespedan emerging from the River while his back was to it.

Dractyl heard the water erupt into the air as Gespedan emerged, only for Dractyl to fly upwards and then dug his talons into Gespedan's back as his surprise attack missed.

G- 25 (62%)

Gespedan recovered before he hit the ground, turning to face Dractyl head on.

Before Dractyl could react, Gespedan again ran. This time behind Dractyl and up a cliff, where he attacked the flying Overworlder in his blind spot.

"Academy Strike!"

D-25 (62%)

Dractyl felt the strike connect with his spine, forcing him to the ground, but he used his wings to maintain more control than Gespedan likely anticipated.

Dractyl used his beak to pick his body back up into a standing position. He had to remain on guard. No, he had to go on the offensive.

"Dexterous Storm!"

Orange energy surrounded Dractyl as he charged forward at Gespedan, plowing into the faster creature before he hit the ground, instead throwing him into the River as Dractyl regained the sky.

G-20 (50%)

Dractyl felt himself gain access to the element of Air, giving him more options in how to fight. But now Gespedan had recovered and was back on his feet. He grabbed two rocks from the Riverbed. They were large enough to be used as bludgeoning weapons. Once again, Gespedan jumped up to meet Dractyl in the air.

"Synaptic Acceleration!"

Gespedan's arms moved in an almost erratic pattern, but he continuously pounded his rocks into Dractyl's body, even breaking his right wing if the audible snap was anything to go by.

D- 15 (37%)

Both creatures fell to the ground, but Dractyl knew he needed to put space between them in order to recover.

"Shriek Shock!"

Dractyl's voice shot out with the force of a catapult, forcing Gespedan to drop his rocks and cover his ears even as the raw force separated them enough that they landed on different banks of the River.

Not wasting any time, Dractyl called his battlegear. Instead of appearing in a flash of light, several of the scales already on his body simply fell off of his neck

'Huh. That was unexpected.' Jon thought before grabbing the scales in his talons and swallowing them. And then he immediately started coughing, as if he was trying to puke them out. Yet at the same time, he felt that his wing was being mended quickly.

D-25 (62%)

"Nope! Not...worth it." Dractyl got out between coughs. He had such a bad reaction to the horrid taste that it gave Gespedan pause before launching his own attack. Pause that allowed the Dractyl's scale's secondary effect of lowering his disciplines to take effect.

Dractyl got up just as Gespedan began speeding towards him. He dodged by flying into the air.

"Thunder Shout!" Dractyl yelled as the attack aimed not at Gespedan himself, but rather where he would be in a few seconds. The blast hit him, knocking him onto his back.

G-10 (25%)

Dractyl knew he had to finish this quickly. He prepared to strike him with an Airsault attack, only for Gespedan's eyes to shoot out a beam of green light too fast for Dractyl to dodge it.

"Paral-Eyes!" Gespedan shouted with the blast.

It struck Dractyl, and he found himself unable to move even as the river below grew closer, until he splashed down. Even after hitting the ground, he remained paralyzed.

D-5 (12%)

Dractyl could still move his eyes, and as he floated on the river, he saw Gespedan materialize his Mowercycle battlegear and get onto it.

Gespedan rode the Mowercycle, sending the gear right into the water fast enough that it appeared to cut the water in front of it. And it was heading right for Dractyl.

Unable to move, the spikes of the Mowercycle dug into Dractyl's flesh, ending the match.

BETA DROME

The Match having ended, Jon watched as Gespedan turned back into Bale.

This was Jon's first loss, although it would not be considered official. Still, it would do no good for Jon to simply pretend it never happened.

Jon grabbed his Scanner out of the docking station and approached the exit with Bale.

"That was a good match." He complimented his opponent. "I was not expecting you to finish me off by slicing Dractyl's back with your Battlegear. I figured Dracty's speed would keep Gespedan on his toes."

"Yes. Same to you. Though I am curious, were those Dractyl Scales truly so horrid?" Bale asked.

"Yes." Jon answered simply before taking a moment. "The taste is still in my mouth. It was both frozen and as hard as ice, while also being spicier than anything I have ever eaten. And immediately after I swallowed them, I had to experience the slimy things sliding down my throat. I honestly thought I may be coded from simply choking on it."

"Noted." Bale said with an ambivalent tone before pulling out his Scanner. "Well, it was nice meeting you Jon, but if I want to be rid of this injury, I must be returning to my original body."

Jon nodded in understanding. "Take care. Hopefully we can battle each other in an official match."

Bale grinned for a moment. "Perhaps."

Bale faded as his code returned to the known world. Jon did the same moments later.

AN: And that is another chapter done. If the ending seems abrupt, it was because I wanted to get this out as soon as I could.

For those who are curious, Bale is in fact a known character. I left a few hints, but nothing too major. Though I did change his Screen name because the old one would be more obvious.

As For Jon, he has his first loss. Wanted to show early on that he is not invincible.

Next chapter will be the last for now, and then I have a surprise before resuming King Of Thrones. This surprise is almost done, and will hopefully give me more time to review KOT and get back in that head space.

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, apologies again for the delay. Have a good day.

Jaehaerys . Joestar.


	5. CH 5: Driftland Dangers

AN: I got a Deviantart account to help expand the audience of my Fics! Hopefully more people get to read them, though as I write this, only the first few chapters for KOT are up.  
Alright, last chapter of the batch. Hope you enjoy it.

KASHERE DRIFTLANDS  
Jon walked through the location that was essentially half desert and half canyon. It was completely covered in sand, save for some rocks that suddenly jutted out of the ground.   
He had come here as part of his strategy to have multiple scans of the same locations as much as possible. He was honestly surprised to find out that only a few players chose to do so. Some locations he understood, such as the Lava Pond and the Storm Tunnel, but other locations, where there was less danger, it only seemed natural to have spares for trading.   
He had of course checked the location’s danger rank before coming here. According to the last entry, which was over three moons ago, it was ranked at C, due to the heat of the sun. It was also noted that few Mipedians called the location their home, despite it being their territory. Sure, there would be the occasional patrol of the territory, but in terms of permanent residence, the closest was a Mipedian Muge named Tianne. But even he lived more on the edge of the location than in it.   
Jon had also learned his lesson from the first time he was in Mipedian territory. He was wearing a shirt that would cause him to freeze to death in Winterfell, but that still felt like it was too much in the sun. His pants were also lighter than those he wore at home, but they still covered his entire legs.   
“Note to self, if I ever end up in Dorne, pick up tips on how to handle the heat.” Jon muttered to himself as he climbed up a hill of sand. “Or, just find a Dornish Player and ask. That would probably be better.”   
He jumped over the hill as he reached the top and began going down. He would guess that he was about a mile and a half from where he originally ported into the Driftlands. But, by scouting the area ahead of time, he could perhaps find anything else of interest and scan it as well.   
With the sun bearing down on him, Jon was relieved to find a rock formation that was dripping wet for some reason.   
“I doubt they have those in Dorne.” Jon muttered as he ran up to it.  
Whatever it was, the result was a pool of water large enough for Jon to stick his face in to cool off. After he did so, he cupped his hands and brought the water to his lips, savoring the cool refreshment as he tried to find his bearings.   
He could feel a slight breeze as well. He supposed that the gods were helping him out in this unfamiliar land. Although, he did note that the sound the wind was making was a bit odd. Perhaps another quirk of the location. The wind was blowing in his face even though the sound was coming from behind h-  
“OH FUCK” Jon realized as he jumped into the pool of water, right before a claw of some kind shot out of the ground and pinched the air where Jon’s torso had been mere moments ago.  
Jon crawled further into the pool as the rest of his assailant's body emerged from beneath the sand. Thinking quickly, he pulled out his Scanner to examine his attacker. The scan finished, but Jon could not spare more than a cursory glance as the creature revealed itself.  
Jon had seen the creature before, but only in images in Luwin’s books. At first, he believed it to be a giant scorpion, but as its face was more human like. The thought of a Manticore briefly crossed his mind. He then saw that it had only four legs, and while the body was a bluish green, the tail had patches of red all over it.   
It readied an attack, only to pause. Jon figured it was unwilling to destroy this water source just to kill him.   
A hiss emanated from the scorpion like creature before him. “A foolish human wishes to take Slurhk’s water? Or have those blasted lizards decided to send you to scout instead of their own?”   
Jon remembered his first visit to Perim. Sobtjek had mentioned Slurhk, an Overworlder who had been fighting the Mipedians for years. One they all hated.  
‘But he is an Overworlder…’ Jon thought.  
“I thought you Overworlders were supposed to leave us alone! Isn’t it part of a deal your leaders in Kiru made?” Jon said as he stood up.  
Slurhk growled again. “Lies! The desert is Overworld territory. All those who are not of the tribe are enemies. And then you steal our Water! No true Overworlder would ever let one not of the tribe live!”   
Slurhk’s tail struck forward, but Jon managed to dodge it, instead the stinger embedded itself into the rock.   
Jon had known that it would be foolish to wander Perim without a way to defend himself. So he had come prepared.  
He pulled out a Dagger he grabbed from the armory of Winterfell before leaving. He had no idea if it would hurt the creature, but that did not stop him from stabbing the flesh of the tail that the carapace did not cover.   
“AAAAHHH!” Slurhk yelled as the steel was thrust into him.  
Jon went to pull the dagger out, but found that it was now pinched too tightly by the carapace for him to remove easily. Before Jon could do anything else to harm the creature, Slurhk screamed. “Thunder Shout!”   
The force of his voice sent Jon flying out of the pond and into the sand. He had been forced to let go of the Dagger, which was still wedged in an opening on Slurhk’s tail.  
In moments, the Overworlder was on top of him. Pain was clear on his face. “YOU, YOU DARE TO HARM ME! MIPEDIAN FILTH! I KNEW YOU WERE ONE OF THEM!” The creature screeched.   
Jon grabbed a rock small enough to fit in the palm of his hand. With as much force as he could manage, he chucked it right at Slurkh’s face. He tried to bat it away with his tail, but the pain of the dagger was enough to slow it down and the stone hit right in his mouth, knocking out a fanglike tooth.  
As Slurhk reeled back in pain, Jon stood up. His body was hurting, but he did not think anything was broken.   
Unfortunately, by the time he tried to reach for his Scanner, Slurhk had recovered and just straight tackled Jon to the ground, the pain in his tail too much for him to focus on an actual attack.  
Slurhk put his right Pincer arm on either side of Jon’s neck. One small move, and Jon would find himself without his head.   
“Any last words trespasser?” Slurhk asked, blood dripping from his mouth and landing right on Jon’s face.  
“W-wait! There is a reason you should not kill me!” Jon lied as his hand reached for his Scanner again, hoping to port out while he could.  
“OH? And what would that be?” Slurhk asked mockingly.  
“The reason… is because... NOW ZHADE!” Jon yelled.   
In an instant, Slurhk had released him, and turned around to face the actual Mipedian enemy. He let out an attack of some kind, Jon could not tell from his position, only for an Airsault to hit him from the side.   
In an instant, three Mipedians appeared out of the Air. Ario, Biondu, and Zhade. The Airsault had come from Ario.   
“Come on you Danian! Meet your doom like the bug you are!” Biondu yelled out.  
Slurhk let out another screech and charged forward at the orange Mipedian.   
While those two held Slurhk’s attention, Zhade grabbed Jon off of the ground and used the Torweg Jon did not notice to get them both a good distance away before placing the human on his feet. “How did you know I was here?” He asked Jon.  
Jon was utterly shocked by the events of the last several seconds. “I didn’t. I was just going to Port out while he was distracted. How long have you been here?” He asked the first creature he had scanned.  
“Been hunting him for two days. We heard him scream, when we got here, we saw you had your battlegear in his tail. Nice work.” Zhade slapped his back, and it was only luck that Jon was able to maintain his balance.   
“Listen, I gotta go back them up. Hopefully we can end him once and for all. Next time you find yourself in the Oasis, I’ll get you a Mipedian Cactus. My treat.” Zhade said as he flew off to join his tribesmen in eradicating a long time threat.   
Jon watched from afar as the three Mipedians fought the Overworlder, who despite the injuries Jon inflicted, was able to stalemate them.   
It was when a rogue Powerpulse almost hit Jon that he figured it was time to get out while he could. He reached for his Scanner just as Slurhk unleashed an EarthPulse, knocking everyone to the ground. Jon grabbed his Scanner and hit it without looking, as he was ported out. 

SKELETAL SPRINGS  
Jon felt himself be lifted off the sand, and on to a pile of some kind, but it was too dark to see.  
“Damn. I must have hit a location scan instead of Chaotic.” Jon summarized from his current state. He still felt the pain, but now he was not in any danger, so he could recover and catch his bearings.  
He still did not believe any of his injuries were severe. At worse, he was simply rattled.  
He pulled himself up into a sitting position. His hand grabbed onto something, he could not tell exactly what, so he pulled it closer and was shocked to see it was a bone. A femur, if Luwin’s lessons were applicable.   
Jon looked at the Scanner’s screen. Sure enough, he had been transported to Skeletal Springs. One of the few locations he had that he had not yet visited.   
One of the reasons for his procrastination in doing so was seeing the spring of green liquids in a drome match. He was more than willing to bet that such would be either acid or poisonous, so he had pushed back on exploring such a dangerous location. He had not checked, but he assumed this location was rated B or above in terms of danger. And now he was here.  
Jon took a moment to stand, so he could view the location himself.   
The place was truly a graveyard that had not been buried. He was just below what was essentially a cliff of bones that led to the lake.  
He was just about to begin moving, when he felt the ground shake as a separate pile of bones exploding from a light hitting them.  
Jon crouched down, using the bones around him as cover. He had left one battle only to enter into another’s beginning.   
He risked putting his head above the bones to see just how large the battle was.   
Strangely, he only saw one one creature. The creature had the horns of a ram and a yellowish fur on his skin. He also wore a red breastplate, blue pladed pants, and black wristguards. On one of his wristguards, a Vlaric Shard was hastily attached, so the creature was likely capable of Earth attacks. A turn of his head let Jon see that a ring of some metal pierced his nose.   
It was the Overworld Warrior Arias. One of the strongest in terms of Power. And for some reason, he was either training here, or fighting a hidden enemy. But which was it?  
The question was answered mere moments later, when Arias pulled a battlegear up to his face. It resembled a skull of some kind with a pair of Myrish looking glasses Jon had seen from Luwin’s lessons. The Looking glass parts moved on their own for a moment, extending and collapsing until they stopped moving.   
A Spectral Viewer. The Battlegear most suited to fighting the Mipedians and their invisibility.   
Arias raised his free arm and shot forth an energy of some kind at another hill of bones. This time, the Mipedian opponent was forced to reveal himself as he failed to dodge the attack.   
As he materialized, Jon got a good look. He was small for a Mipedian, but he did resemble Zhade in his shoulders and neck. After a moment, Jon recognized the creature as Siado, one of the Mipedians’ best Stalkers. And one who was regularly tasked with either sentry or scouting missions for the Royal Family.   
‘Great, I get away from one Mipedian versus Overworld battle only to wind up in another.’ Jon thought as he ducked under the bones to avoid a Flash Kick that missed its mark.   
“COME ON LIZARD! IS THAT ALL YOU GOT!” Arias yelled as Siado resumed his invisibility.   
Arias brought the Spectral Viewer to his face once again, only to stagger backwards almost as if he had been struck in the face, the battlegear ripped out of his hands and tossed in the air, where a well timed Ectospasm blasted the skull to pieces.   
With no way to see his invisible foe, Arias backed away, keeping his hands free and ready for any chance to launch an attack.  
Unfortunately, Siado was not planning on fighting just yet. Jon saw him reappear behind another bone pile. And now in his hands, was a Mugic. Shaped as a heptagon, it was pale yellow and hollow in the center.  
Jon found his hands grabbing onto his Scanner in an almost instinctual manner. He had yet to scan any Mugic in Perim, and as he understood it, they were the least common of all the types to scan unless you had the location of a Muge’s home. Hopefully they would be too preoccupied to notice the light of the Scanner.  
The Mugic floated above Siado and the hill of bones. Out of Siado emerged some sort of yellow spirit that resembled a person or a creature only in the broadest terms. It was a Mugician.  
Jon Scanned it right as the Mugician entered the Heptagon. He read the name of it just as Siado called it out.  
“Song of Recovery! Heal Me and empower my Air!” His voice rang out and was instantly followed by a blanket of purple lights descending from the sky and enveloping Siado’s body. Its job complete, the Mugic then faded from existence as the purple light did. Now Siado was healed and empowered.   
Having realized the bluff too late, Arias charged forward, hoping to not give Siado enough time to recover.   
In response, Siado jumped out from his own cover, his invisibility also inactive. Jon was unsure if it was part of a plan, if he was confident he did not need it, or if he wanted to hold Arias’ attention while another invisible Mipedian continued on unabated.   
““Thunder Shout!”” Both creatures yelled in near unison. The two shouts, one empowered by Air, the other by Earth, struck each other and created a pulse that pushed both creatures farther away, and several of the Skeletal remains of the Location were blasted into the air and rained down.   
It was when Jon deflected a Skull from hitting his own that he realized he should get out while he still could. The fact that this made three Thunder Shouts he had witnessed in one trip, and remembering how painful one that had not been empowered, was another factor in the decision.  
Tightening the grip on his Scanner, Jon ported out and returned to Chaotic, with neither creature making any sign that they had noticed him witness their battle. 

CHAOTIC- PORT COURT   
Just like all the times before, Jon returned to the safety of Chaotic.   
Wanting to get the information out, He walked to one of the Information Tables and inserted his Scanner into the slot.   
He briefly reviewed the Scans that he had obtained.   
Ironically, he had been so preoccupied with Slurhk that he did not get an additional scan of the Kasheer Driftlands. So in that sense, the Scan Quest was a failure. But he would consider what he did get more than enough to make up for it.   
His scan of Slurhk would likely be his only one, as he had no intention of meeting the Overworlder again. But his stats showed that he may be a good addition to Jon’s deck.  
Slurhk- Common  
Energy: 50  
Courage: 55  
Power: 40  
Wisdom: 30  
Speed: 50  
Mugicians: 0  
Confirming that he would want to keep the Scan, Jon examined the Mugic he had also scanned as well.   
Song of Recovery- Uncommon  
Heal 10 damage to Target Creature. That Creature gains Air 5 until the end of this Turn.  
Once both scans were examined and confirmed, he searched for the Kasheer Driftland location information through the table. Skimming it, he noted that no mention was made of Slurhk at all.   
Jon had already learned to familiarize himself with the technology or magic of Chaotic. He added in his own experience in the Driftlands.   
‘To any who come here, beware. An Overworld Creature resembling a Scorpion has made the location his own. He had no interest in fulfilling the Overworld’s stance of non-hostility, instead accusing me of being a Mipedian Spy. If not for Mipedian warriors arriving to hunt him, I would likely have died.’  
Jon watched as the danger level for the location was raised up to B. Same as Mount Pillar. He doubted it would cause Players to stay away, but if at least one life could be saved, it would be worth it.   
The moment Jon pulled his Scanner out of the table, a message appeared on it. Jon had to admit, it was much more convenient than sending one of the Drones to find a player. He read the message as he walked to a food table.  
‘WHITEWOLF. A NEW PLAYER HAS JOINED CHAOTIC AND IS ON THE WAY TO THE AMZEN DROME. YOU HAVE BEEN RANDOMLY SELECTED TO BE THEIR FIRST OPPONENT. PREPARE FOR A ONE ON ONE BATTLE WITHIN THE NEXT HALF HOUR. WE WISH YOU LUCK.’  
Jon smirked as he read it. He remembered his first day here. Hopefully he could give the new player an easier time. Help them ease into it and get the hang of it. He did not like the idea of beating newcomers to get his wins. Taking a minute just to get some water and bread to fill his stomach, Jon made his way to the Amzen Drome.  
This Drome was largely white, with a blue pattern that Jon thought reminded him of a spine and the connecting ribs on a drawing. Blue half circles decorated the area between the two entrances.   
Jon could see the crowd of Players who had no doubt swarmed the newcomer just as they had him. He actually thought he recognized some of them as the ones from his own swarm. Do they just wait around for new Players?   
Jon entered the entrance opposite of the crowd. The Amzen’s unique appearance externally giving way to the identical green area of all the Dromes.   
He saw the new player. Or more specifically, the new player’s back, as he was almost looking like he would make a break for it.  
“Calm down.” Jon interrupted the silence. “I know this is weird, but you are safe.”  
The Player turned around, and Jon felt the color drain from his face as his mind went blank.   
“JON!” The Heir of Winterfell, Robb Stark exclaimed. “WHAT IN THE SEVEN HELLS IS GOING ON HERE?!”   
The first thought Jon had when his mind returned was as follows.   
‘RANDOMLY SELECTED? YEAH RIGHT!” 

AN: And thus, this section of the story ends. As I said in the last chapter, the next update will be a surprise (Almost done writing that actually, just needs a satisfying end point and a title), but then followed up with KOT. I am actually in the middle of rereading it to get back into the mindset. It is actually amazing how much I can see how I have improved.   
As for this chapter, Slurhk is a creature that is antithetical to the rest of the Overworld Tribe. Which was kind of the point in Shifting Sands. He showed Tom that no one Tribe is fully good or evil. I actually have plans for him and several other creatures. And I wanted to show the difference between Jon and the Chaotic characters- He can at least fight back better. Most of the time a human WILL LOSE to a creature, but that does not mean it is completely hopeless.  
The Arias and Siado battle was mainly to extend the chapter and try to describe Mugic in Perim. It's their magic system, and I hoped to do it justice.  
Finally, the cliffhanger. I have not done much with Robb in other stories, but here he would be another viewpoint character to focus on. It has been getting difficult just trying to have Jon carry an entire chapter without changing POVS. If you have read my other stories, you will know I favor smaller sections of multiple characters in different areas.   
Hope you all enjoy this chapter and check out the other stories.   
Have a good day.  
Jaehaerys Joestar


End file.
